Holder for paper rolls

ABSTRACT

An improved holder for removably mounting a plurality of paper rolls in spaced positions in a magazine rotatable about a predetermined axis. A removable shaft in each roll spans the distance between a pair of end members forming parts of the magazine. Means is provided to present an elongated, shiftable edge along which the paper from any one of the rolls can be torn after the paper has been threaded through a slot adjacent to the edge. The edge is movable to a position adjacent to a flat surface, thereby closing the slot so that the edge clamps the paper against the flat surface to facilitate tearing the paper. Means is provided for releasably locking the edge in the paperclamping position.

United States Patent Eberly Sept. 16, 1975 HOLDER FOR PAPER ROLLS [75]Inventor: Charles E. Eberly, Pleasanton, Calif. Primary Robert SprulnAsszslant ExamznerLeon Gilden [73] Assign i Bmi -J II p i Palo Attorney,Agent, or Firm-Townsend and Townsend Alto, Calif.

22 1 Filed: Nov. 5, 1973 ABSTRACT [21 1 APPL No: 412,849 improved holderfor removably mounting a plurality of paper rolls in spaced positions ina magazine rotatable about a predetermined axis. A removable shaft U-S-in each roll spans the distance between a pair of end I 5 l 1 Int.Clmembers forming parts of the magazine Means is pro- [58] Field 0Search 225/35-38, vided to present an elongated, hiftable edge along225/84; 1 650; 242/553, 5542, 55-54 which the paper from any one of therolls can be torn after the paper has been threaded through a slot adja-References Clted cent to the edge. The edge is movable to a position ad-UNITED STATES PATENTS jacent to a flat surface, thereby closing the slotso that 1 007 549 10 1911 Faussone 225/84 X the edge Clamps the Paperagainst the flat Surfaee to 107,848 8/1914 Schade 225 4 X facilitatetearing the paper. Means is provided for rel.2l5,388 2/1917 Lanford83/650 X leasably locking the edge in the paper-clamping osi- FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 672,572 12 1929 France 225/35 5 Claims, 4Drawing Figures 58 66 L I0. 3 3 I 1- -1 1 m s2 42 2 42 1e 1 ,1 i I8 :1II 12 1 1 1: 4o 46 F1 5 36 56 A 48 50 4a- PMEHTEU SEF-I 51975 FIG. I

HOLDER FOR PAPER ROLLS This invention relates to improvements in thehandling of paper rolls and, more particularly, to a holder for aplurality of such rolls to facilitate the selective removal of segmentsof paper from the various rolls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In classrooms of primary and secondaryschools, it is oftentimes desirable for a teacher to have readilyaccessible paper segments of different colors. Typically, poster workand other art-related activities require multi-eolored paper. Becausesome paper rolls are quite large, bulky and heavy, the storage andhandling of such rolls in a classroom becomes a problem. Sometimes therolls are 3 to 4 feet in length and straight-edge to pounds in weight.Moreover, the cutting of the paper into desired lengths from the rollrequires either sissors or tearing by a straight-ecge which is laid onthe paper when the latter has been partially unrolled from its roll andsupported by a flat surface therebelow.

Because of the foregoing problems, it has become apparent that a needhas arisen for a holder for paper rolls of the type described tosimplify not only the storage of the rolls but also the handling of themas well. Also, a simplified way of cutting segments of paper from therolls is required in view of the bulkiness, weight and size of therolls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a holderfor a plurality of paper rolls of the type described wherein the holderis simple and rugged in construction yet it contains a large number ofrolls in a minimum of space and in a neat, compact manner so thatportions of paper from any one of the rolls can be readily removedtherefrom without having to pick up a roll from a pile and move it to alocation at which it can be supported on a flat surface for cutting. Tothis end, the holder includes a spool-like magazine having a pair ofspaced end members interconnected by a central core-like member. Thevarious paper rolls are removably coupled to the outer peripheries ofthe end members by shafts which removably extend through the paper rollsand are coupled in some suitable manner to the end members yet allow therolls to rotate relative to the magazine.

The support for the magazine has an elongated, flat surface adjacent towhich is a cutter bar having an edge adjacent to the flat surface. Thebar is pivotally coupled to the support so that the edge of the bar canbe moved into proximity with the flat surface to clamp a portion ofpaper from a roll against such surface. Thus, the paper can be manuallytorn along the edge of the bar and thereby separated from the roll.Means is also provided to releasably lock the bar in a position withsuch edge clamping the paper to the flat surface to facilitate thecutting of the paper.

Another feature of the invention is that the holder can be provided withcasters on the base portion thereof so that it can be moved from placeto place. Also, the paper rolls can be easily replaced and any roll fromwhich paper is to be taken can be readily moved into a position adjacentto the bar by merely rotating the magazine relative to its support. Theholder of the present invention requires no special-skills and can beused on paper rolls of different sizes.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved holderfor a number of paper rolls to permit selective removal of portions ofpaper from any one of the rolls without having to lift and therebyhandle the paper roll yet a large number of rolls can be positioned onthe holder in a minimum of space.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder of the typedescribed wherein the holder has a rotatable magazine for mounting thepaper rolls and is provided with an improved cutter bar common to all ofthe rolls carried by the magazine so that the magazine itself need onlybe rotated into a position with a selected paper adjacent to the cutterbar to allow a portion of paper from the selected roll to be threadedinto a slot adjacent to the bar and the bar locked in place so that thepaper can then be manually torn from the roll quickly and easily withouthaving to return-the roll to a storage location.

A further object of this invention is to provide a holder of theaforesaid character wherein the holder is simple and rugged inconstruction, can hold a relatively large number of paper rolls, andrequires only a minimum of space yet even the most unskilled person canutilize the holder without special instructions.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent as the followingspecification progresses, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings for an illustration of an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the holder for paper rolls formingthe subject of the present invention, parts being broken away and insection to illustrate details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the holder;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the cutter barof the holder in a closed position to permit a segment of paper from apaper roll to be torn from the roll itself.

The holder for paper rolls of this invention is broadly denoted by thenumeral 10 and includes a support 12, a magazine 14 rotatably mounted onthe support, and a cutter bar 16 pivotally mounted on the support andmovable into a position to facilitate the tearing of portions" of paperfrom any one of a number of paper rolls carried by the magazine. Forpurposes of illustration, the magazine is shown and hereinafterdescribed as being rotatable about a vertical axis. However, one skilledin the art will understand that the teachings of the invention can becarried out even if the magazine is rotatable about a horizontal axis.

Support 12 includes an upright post 18 having a pair of arms 20 and 22at the upper and lower ends thereof, respectively. Arms 20 and 22 areintegral with post 18 and extend laterally therefrom. Arm 22 has a pairof legs 24 rigid thereto and extending transversely thereof, the legsbeing spaced apart and adapted to rest on a floor 26 (FIG. 1) so thatthe support with the magazine carried thereon will be stable. Legs 24may be provided with castors (not shown) thereon to allow holder 10 tobe easily moved over floor 26.

Magazine 14 includes a pair of end, disk-like members 28 and 30interconnected by a central, spindle-like member 32 so that the magazine14 has a spool-like configuration. End member 28 has a plurality ofspaced holes 34 ,therethrough adjacent to the outer periphery thereof asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. End member 30 has a number of spaced recesses 36therein in the upper surface 38 thereof near the outer periphery. Arecess 36 is provided for each hole 34, respectively, and the recesses36 are in vertical alignment with respective holes 34. Thus, a shaft orspindle 40 can enter hole 34 and extend downwardly and into recess 36while spanning the distance between members 28 and 30. The length ofshaft 40 is such that it extends into a corresponding hole 34 and isretained in a coupled relationship to magazine 14.

Each shaft 40 is adapted to rotatably mount a paper roll 42, the rollhaving a central tubular region for receiving the corresponding shaft40. A typical paper roll may be 36 inches to 48 inches in length. It mayor may not have a central core member independent of the paper whichforms the roll.

Magazine 14 is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis through a pairof pins or stub shafts 44 and 46 at the upper and lower ends of support12, respectively. Pin 44 is carried by arm near the outer end thereofand extends into a recess in the upper end of central member 32. Member32 may be tubular or, in the alternative, could be of solid materialwith an end recess formed in each end thereof.

A number of casters 48 are carried by arm 22 and engage the lowersurface 50 of end member as shown in FIG. 1. Typically, three casters 48are provided for this purpose, the casters being spaced apart in anysuitable configuration. Pin 46 is also carried by arm 22 and isvertically aligned with pin 44. Thus, magazine 14 can rotate about thevertical axis through pins 44 and 46.

Cutter bar 16 is of typically a metallic material and is secured, suchas by welding, to a rod 52 rotatably carried by upper and lower ears 54and 56 on the flat outer surface 58 of post 18. Rod 52 is secured tocutter bar 16 along one marginal edge thereof so that the oppositemarginal edge 58 can be pivoted from a first position spaced from flatsurface 58 of post 18 as shown in FIG. 3 to a second position adjacentto surface 58 as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, when the cutter bar is in theposition of FIG. 3, a slot is formed between the cutter bar and surface58 so that an end portion 60 of paper from a paper roll 42 can bethreaded through the slot and outwardly thereof. When the desired lengthof paper has been determined, the cutter bar is rotated into theposition shown in FIG. 4, clamping portion 60 against flat surface 58 sothat the paper portion 60 can be manually torn along edge margin 58 ofcutter bar 16.

Rod 52 has an L-shaped extension 62 thereon at the upper end thereof;Extension 62 is provided with a downward leg 64 provided with aresilient bumper member 66 thereon. Leg 64 is movable over the top ofarm 20 from the full position of FIG. 2 to the dashed line postionthereof as the cutter bar 16 is moved from the position of FIG. 3 to theposition of FIG. 4. Leg 64 must be lifted slightly upwardly so thatbumper member 66 can slide over the flat upper surface of arm 20. Thereason for this is that leg 64 is longer than the distance between thehorizontal portion of extension 62 and the upper surface of arm 20.Extension 62 is yieldable to allow this to take place. Once leg 64 getsonto the left-hand side of arm 20 when viewing FIG. 2, cutter bar 16 islocked in place, clamping the paper portion 60 against surface 58. Tounlock the cutter bar, extension 62 is manually lifted and moved to thefull-line position of FIG. 2.

In use, a plurality of paper rolls is Coupled with magazine 14 by theuse of shafts 40 in the manner described above. When a segment of paperis to be removed from one of the paper rolls, the magazine is rotateduntil the selected paper roll 42 is in a position adjacent to post 18,such as in FIG. 3. With cutter bar 16 open, the paper is threadedthrough the slot formed by the cutter bar and surface 58. Then, thecutter bar is moved into its clamping position of FIG. 4 and the paperportion is torn from the paper roll.

I claim:

1. A holder for a plurality of paper rolls comprising: a magazine havinga pair of opposed, spaced end members and means on the outer peripheriesof the end members for rotatably mounting a plurality of paper rolls inrespective operative positions thereon with the axes of the rollsextending between the end members; means coupled with the magazine formounting the same for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally ofthe axes of the paper rolls when the same are in said operativepositions, said mounting means having a fixed post extendinglongitudinally of said axes of the paper rolls; a bar having apaper-engaging edge; means shiftably mounting the bar on the post withthe bar ex tending longitudinally thereof; and means coupled with thebar for releasably locking the same in a fixed position with said edgeof the bar clamping a portion of the paper of one of the rolls to saidpost, whereby the paper can be pulled against said edge and torn as thebar remains in said fixed position.

2. A holder as set forth in claim 1, wherein the post has a pair oflaterally extending cars at the upper and lower ends thereof, the barbeing pivotally connected to said ears.

3. A holder as set forth in claim I, wherein the magazine is rotatableabout a vertical axis, one end member having a hole therethrough foreach roll-receiving posi tion of the magazine, the other end memberhaving a recess aligned with a corresponding hole of the other endmember, the roll mounting means for each roll including a shaftinsertable in a respective hole and re ceivable in a respective recess.

4. A holder for a plurality of paper rolls comprising: a magazine havinga pair of;opposed, spaced end members and means on the outer peripheriesof the end members for rotatably mounting a plurality of paper rolls inrespective operative positions thereon with the axes of the rollsextending between the end members; an upright post having an outersurface and a pair of laterally extending cars at the upper and lowerends thereof; means coupled with the magazine for mounting the same forrotation about an axis extending longitudinally of the axes of the paperrolls when the same are in said operative positions; a bar pivotallycoupled to said ears, whereby the bar is mounted on the post adjacent tosaid outer surface with the bar extending longitudinally of said axisand movable toward and away from said outer surface, said bar beingadapted to clamp a portion of a paper sheet against said outer surface;and an extension rigid to the bar and extending laterally therefrom,said post having an arm extending laterally therefrom adjacent to saidextension, the latter having a yieldable projecting portion movable insliding engagement over the arm and onto one said thereof for releasablyholding the bar in a position clamping a portion of the paper of one ofthe rolls to said outer surface.

5. A holder for a plurality of paper rolls comprising: a magazine havinga pair of opposed, spaced end members and means on the outer peripheriesof the end members for rotatably mounting a plurality of paper rolls inrespective operative positions thereon with the axes of the rollsextending between the end members; means coupled with the magazine formounting the same for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally ofthe axes of the paper rolls when the same are in said operativepositions, there being a post extending longitudinally of said axes ofsaid paper rolls, a bar havfixed relative to the post.

1. A holder for a plurality of paper rolls comprising: a magazine havinga pair of opposed, spaced end members and means on the outer peripheriesof the end members for rotatably mounting a plurality of paper rolls inrespective operative positions thereon with the axes of the rollsextending between the end members; means coupled with the magazine formounting the same for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally ofthe axes of the paper rolls when the same are in said operativepositions, said mounting means having a fixed post extendinglongitudinally of said axes of the paper rolls; a bar having apaper-engaging edge; means shiftably mounting the bar on the post withthe bar extending longitudinally thereof; and means coupled with the barfor releasably locking the same in a fixed position with said edge ofthe bar clamping a portion of the paper of one of the rolls to saidpost, whereby the paper can be pulled against said edge and torn as thebar remains in said fixed position.
 2. A holder as set forth in claim 1,wherein the post has a pair of laterally extending ears at the upper andlower ends thereof, the bar being pivotally connected to said ears.
 3. Aholder as set forth in claim 1, wherein the magazine is rotatable abouta vertical axis, one end member having a hole therethrough for eachroll-receiving position of the magazine, the other end member having arecess aligned with a corresponding hole of the other end member, theroll mounting means for each roll including a shaft insertable in arespective hole and receivable in a respective recess.
 4. A holder for aplurality of paper rolls comprising: a magazine having a pair ofopposed, spaced end members and means on the outer peripheries of theend members for rotatably mounting a plurality of paper rolls inrespective operative positions thereon with the axes of the rollsextending between the end members; an upright post having an outersurface and a pair of laterally extending ears at the upper and lowerends thereof; means coupled with the magazine for mounting the same forrotation about an axis extending longitudinally of the axes of the paperrolls when the same are in said operative positions; a bar pivotallycoupled to said ears, whereby the bar is mounted on the post adjacent tosaid outer surface with the bar extending longitudinally of said axisand movable toward and away from said outer surface, said bar beingadapted to clamp a portion of a paper sheet against said outer surface;and an extension rigid to the bar and extending laterally therefrom,said post having an arm extending laterally therefrom adjacent to saidextension, the latter having a yieldable projecting portion movable insliding engagement over the arm and onto one said thereof for releasablyholding the bar in a position clamping a portion of the paper of one ofthe rolls to said outer surface.
 5. A holder for a plurality of paperrolls comprising: a magazine having a pair of opposed, spaced endmembers and means on the outer peripheries of the end members forrotatably mounting a plurality of paper rolls in respective operativepositions thereon with the axes of the rolls extending between the endmembers; means coupled with the magazine for mounting the same forrotation about an axis extending longitudinally of the axes of the paperrolls when the same are in said operative positions, there being a postextending longitudinally of said axes of said paper rolls, a bar havinga paper-engaging edge and extending longitudinally of said post; meansshiftably mounting the bar for movement into and out of a fixed positionwith said edge of the bar clamping a portion of the paper of one of therolls to said post; and means coupled with the bar for releasablylocking the same in said fixed position, whereby the paper from any oneof said rolls can be pulled against said edge and torn as the barremains fixed reLative to the post.